Stationery carrier for writing machines



De- 15; 1964 l K. FLEISCHMANN ETAL 3,151,276

STATIONERY CARRIER FOR WRITING MACHINES Filed Jan. 26, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet l Z9 F151 '2f Z226 2f un "Hh :Il I

||1| l MIDDEL! L lllh 'II'I' I De 15, 1964 l.. K. FLEISCHMANN ETAL 3,161,275

STATIONERY CARRIER FOR WRITING MACHINES Filed Jan. 26, 1962 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Dec 15, 1964 L. K. FLEISCHMANN ETAL 3,151,276

STATIONERY CARRIER FOR WRITING MACHINES United States Patent Oiitice 3,l6l,276 Patented Dec. l5, 1964 3,161,276 STATINERY CARRIER FR Will'ilhlf MACHNES Lester K. Fleischmann, Highland Pari-1, and William Il.

Kenney, Villa Park, ill., assignors to Standard lvianifold Company, a corporation of iliinois Filed lan. 26, i962, Ser. No. 169,667 S Claims. (Cl. wil-133) This invention relates to a stationery carrier for a Writing machine and more particularly to a carrier for continuous-forms attached to direct the forms to the carriage of a typewriter which moves laterally while carrying the stationery past a writing station.

Continuous-form stationery is generally supplied in a zig-Zag folded stack with the folds occurring at some single or multiple form length so that the stack is regular and boxlike in form. The stationery is generally shipped in cardboard paper boxes and is often used by drawing the forms out of the box as required. ln "a typewriter type of instrument in which the carriage shifts from side to side while the writing progresses, there has been the problem of aligning the stationery from a zig-zag folded supply into proper relation to the writing machine carriage. Various guiding devices have been proposed including a carbon carriage which may shift from side to side with the writing machine carriage. Often, the stationery is not provided with interleaved carbon material but sheets of carbon paper are held in interleaved relation with the stationery so as to pass around the writing machine platen with at least one form length of the stationery. The guiding devices previously used have generally been relatively bulky, have required special eiforts to Ialign them with the writing machine, and have also required special attachments to secure them to the Writing machine. The present invention is a very simplified, convenient and economic solution to the problems that have heretofore been present.

it is the primary object of this invention to provide a new and improved carrier for continuous-form stationery and guiding such stationery to a writing machine.

Another object of the invention is to provide a stationery carrier which includes a platform member adapted to support a supply of such stationery and to move it laterally with the carriage of the writing machine so that alignment is always maintained.

Another object is to provide such a carrier supported upon the writing machine carriage and a pedestal of novel construction permitting the shifting of the carrier with the writing machine carriage without affecting the operaion of the writing machine.

Another object is to make a particularly novel stationery carrier which is eiective to support the weight of a supply of stationery in a manner so that the weight of the stationery does not interfere with the operation or movement of the carriage.

A further object is to provide a particularly inexpensive yet eliective stationery carrier of the nature described.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description of embodiments of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view partially in section showing a typewriting machine and the stationery carrier of this invention in operative position in relation to the machine;

FGURE 2 is a fragmentary top plan View of the machine shown in .FGURE 1 partially in section to show construction of the carrier;

FIGURE 3 is an elevational view of the carrier looking toward the left hand end of FIGURE 1 showing the carrier in two positions it may occupy during use;

` FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary sectional view through the pedestal support for the carrier taken substantially along line i 4 in FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary plan view of the end of the carrier shown in FIGURES 1 and 2 prepared for attachment to e typewriter carriage;

FEGURE 6 is a fragmentary sectional view along line o f of FIGURE 2 showing the carrier attached to the typewriter carriage;

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary sectional view through the attaching means taken substantially along line '7 7 in .iGURE 5;

'FiGURE 8 is a fragmentary perspective view of a portion of the attaching means attached to the carrier;

FGURE 9 is a perspective View of the attaching plate for cooperation with the structure of FIGURE 8;

FiGURE l@ isa view similar to FIGURE l of an alternate construction of the carrier;

FGURE l1 is an end elevational View similar to FG- URE 3 of the construction shown in FIGURE 10 and being a section taken substantially alone line 11--11 in FlGURE l0; and

FIGURE 12 is a fragmentary top plan View of the carrier shown in FIGURES l0 and 1l.

The use of the present invention is illustrated in FIG- URES 1 and 2 in conjunction with a business oflice typewriter. For example, the typewriter 15 sits on a table 16, the platen i7 of the typewriter being movable from side to side as a part of the carriage 18. The supply of continuous-form stationery in the form of a zig-Zag folded pack ll is supported upon a platform member 2u which' in this instance is the bottom of a pan-like tray. The stationery is directed from the pack around the platen of the typewriter as illustrated by the line 21 which extends from the pack in this manner. In this instance the stationery may consist of several plies of forms preprinted and in register with each other. The transfer of the written information from the typewriter keys on the iirst pry to the underlying plies may be made through carbon sheets held by a carbon holder in interleaved relation with the stationery itself. Various carbon holders are commercially available for threading upon the stationery and an improved form of such a holder is shown in the copending application of Lester K. Fleischmann, Serial No. 159,573, filed December l5, 1961, now Patent No. 3,107,- i, issued October l5, 1963.

lt may be noted from the top View of FGURE 2 that the platform member Ztl has a front ledge 22 extending forwardly to rest upon the top surface of the typewriter carri-age formed by the top member 23. The tray which supports the stationery is actually fastened to the typewriter carriage and is intended to travel with the carriage as it movesintermittently during the typing operation. The construction is such that the tray moves quie readily without requiring the carriage return spring to be strengthened or altered in any Preferably, the tray is made of a light weight plastic or a paper product of the chipboard type so as to be light in weight. While the front end of the stationery supporting platform may rest upon the carriage of the typewriter, the opposite end is supported on a novel pedestal 25 which allows the movement of the tray to follow the movements of the typewriter carriage quite readily.

in order to provide a fastening of the front of the tray to typewriter carriage, a piano-type hinge 2e may by provided at a point on the extension 22 to occur at the juncture of the top horizontal member 23 on the carriage and the paper guide leading to the platen. A downwardly extending portion Z3 is connected to the hinge to lie against the paperguide Z7. A connection may be between the part 2.8 and the paperguide insuring that tray moves with the carriage. l of the tray preferably is also abutted against the back of The end 29 the' carriage to aid in guiding the tray from side to side.v

Referring particularly to FIGURES 5 to 9, one formv of connection is illustrated. The inwardly extending part` toy a pair of spaced bosses provided by the plates V32.

This should give adequatek supportY to insure that the tray will move from side to side with the typewriter carriage. Once` the'parts are intertted, adhesive tape 34 of the pressure-sensitive type may be applied across the member 27 and boss 31 to insurethat the parts do not come apart. Ordinarily, the surfaces of the boss and exposed's'urface of the part 28 are made so that they will be flush when assembled. i

f Other fasteners or fastening means between the carriage and receptacle for the stationery may be employed.

As one example, it has been found in certain instances v quite advantageous to apply a commercially available Velcro type offastener between the topmember 2.3 on the typewriter carriage and the forwardly extending ange 22 on the carrier. This typev of a fastener may be pressed together to form thek connection and simply pull it apart to release the connection.

An important structure in insuring that the carrier` follows the typewriter carriage is the form of the pedestal f which bears agood part of the weight of the stationery.

In this instance it is preferred thatthe pedestal have a relatively large rocker member 35 with an arcuate lower edge 36 of relatively gentle curvature and a generally upright leg member a joiningrthe lower edge to the pedestal. In this instance the center of curvature on the rocker 35 is the bolt 36a which passes through theV leg member to secureA the rocker for swinging action. The structurer which supports the rocker isY an lupstanding plate 37 having a bolted connection to the back side of the tray, the tray being provided with a plurality of vertically spaced openings to receive the fasteners 38'. Thefplate is provided with a vertical slot 39 receiving the boltforming the pivot for the rocker. A wing nutrd) onl the bolt provides` for easy manual adjustment of the vertical position of the rocker-rand la washer 41 between a cover plate 42 and the upstanding plate 37 insures lthatthe rocker will be free to swing. Considerable adjustment in the height of the rear end of the tray above the table top 16 may be accomplished by the adjustments provided.,l

The'covery plate 42 loosely embraces the pedestal and a leg portion .of the rocker. .Either side of the cover plate is provided with inwardly turned ears or stopv means 42a and 42b, each of which are in a position to abut the leg portion as the stationery carrierY moves lateris permitted alongk a path generally coextensive in`V length withrthe path of travel of the-standard typewriter car- "riagei To adjust the tray for 'use' with larger typewriters having an oversized carriage Yandto insure that no binding Vof the pedestal will affect the lateral movement of the carrier, a relatively small, rotatable roller 43 may be appropriately incorporated at the ends ofthe arcuate surface 36. Ordinarily, the rocker will simply slide on the arcuate surface, and the roller 43 will insure that the rockerVK may move sideways beyond the limit aiforded by the stop Vmeans without undue binding or drag on the carriage. f K v An important function of the forms carrier is to guide that portion of the stationery directed to theV platenY of thev typewriter Vin such a manner that it is properly aligned without tendency toskew. AInstead of a supply of zigzag folded stationery it ispossible to provide the supply in a box and to thread the stationery over the platform member in'such'a manner that the alignment is obtained. In FIGURES Vl0 to 12 such a device is illustrated. Herein, the same typewriter 15 provided with its platen 17 and associate carriage 13 is equipped ywith va platform stationery carrier 45 over which stationery 46 is simply guided; An upstandirig guide bar 47 provides a spaceV through which the stationery 46 is threaded between the barV and the platform 45. 1n this manner a reach of Y stationery is always held in alignrnent'withV the platen of the entire Vcarrier may be formed of a paper productl and Y die cut in a manner to make its` necessary component parts. In FIGURES Vl0 to 1l the platform 45 is formed of a chipboard and a boxlike structure is formed for the reception of a bolt 48 about which a chipboard rocker member 49 is pivoted. The rocker member is provided with an arcuaterlower edge 50 intended to roll overA a platformv or a platform support surface 51 iny order to elevate lthe platform to alignment with the top of the typewriter paperguide 27.' p yTwo cutouts 52 and 53 (FIG- URE .12)fprovide material which is turned downwardly Y members.

ally to limit the 'relatively free lateral movement ofthe' y carrier so that a sudden .or forceful throwing ofthe typewriterV carriage cannot overthrow the carrier and thus y `cannot tend to'loosen the securernent Vof the stationery carrierrelative to the carriage. Y

Y In operation the rocker Yswings quite readily whileisupporting the weight `of the carrierand its contents. The

arcuate lower surface 36 is' of suiiciently large radius 1 to move. over stacks'of .paper or other obstructions and Vhas beenfound sufficiently large torrun over an'object, such as a pencil, left upon the table 16. The passing of Y the rocker over an obstruction simplyelevates the rear end of the carrier pivoting VVthersame above its piano hinge 26V without disturbing the operation of the writing machine.

A Velcro fastener has built in suicient loose` Y multiples offty formswith an interleaved carbon hold` ness to permit considerable elevationor lowering of the Y Y Y been fofund'that anextremely'ig'ood'*registration andjoppg rear end of the carrier and thus effectively/operates as 'does the piano hinge. The leg portionismadeof suf cient width'sovthat:free;swinging'offthe rocker member to form braces 54 and 5S over which a U-shaped cover member 56V is tted forming abox into which the bolt 48 is threadedi A'plurality of vertically spaced openings'57 provide for vertical adjustment ofthe position of the bolt 48.- V`Preferably, an aluminum washer 58 provides a bearing for the rocker about the bolt. i 'l At the front of the platform member`45 a hinged section 59 superimposed by a pressuresensitive tape 60 provides' means for attaching the carrier to the platen. A pressurefsensitive:adhesive tape may be placed over the' lfront hinged section'59 of the carrier 'and' against'rthe paperguide- 27 to make a connection between the -two 'Y The use of a carrier of theVtype-hereinkdescribedalso provides` a convenient gage on the useful life of carbonsheets which may be 'interleaved with the stationery at the pointof manufacture.V `If the'carbon paper used isl good vfor a'certain numberl'of forms, lfor example, fifty copies', the zigzag folded supply 19V may be made in er. Once this supply isl placed in the tray or on the vplatform 451in`FIGUREV1O andV is exhausted, the carbon holder maybe discarded 'and a newsupply of stationery obtained with a new carbon` holder threaded ythereon -ready for use. The ,carrier herein' described'may be used 1n variousways, thel traylike receptacle supporting a supply andthe-'resti remaining onI aY table bellind'the carrier.

The important'aspect is that`the carrier travelswithV the` platen insuring" that proper` alignment is obtained. 'It'has Y to be placed thereon. There should be no tight fit which Would interfere with the withdrawing of stationery from the tray.

The foregoing detailed description has been given for clearness of understanding only and no unnecessary limitations should be understood therefrom for some modications will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

We claim:

1. A stationery carrier for a writing machine having a laterally movable carriage, comprising: a platform member having a substantially upright rear wall and a front laterally extending part to rest upon the writing machine carriage; means for securing the platform member to the carriage to travel laterally therewith; a column-like pedestal depending from the rear wall of the platform member and including a pivoted rocker arranged to pivot against and over a supporting table surface and the like as said carriage and platform member move from side to side with said writing machine carriage, said rocker having an arcuate lower portion in rolling engagement with the supporting surface and a generally upright leg member joining the arcuate portion to the pedestal; and stop means on said pedestal in a position to abut said leg member as said stationery carrier moves with the typewriter carriage to limit the lateral movement of said rocker.

2. The stationery carrier of claim 1 wherein said stop means is positioned on said pedestal in the path of travel of said leg member.

3. The stationery carrier of claim 1 wherein said pedestal is provided with a plate which embraces the leg member of said rocker and said stop means comprises inwardly turned ear portions of said plate member.

4. The stationery carrier of claim 1 wherein said pedestal is provided with an upright slot and a post passing through the slot and leg member with means for locking the post at selected positions along the length of the slot for adjusting the height of the carrier to adjust the same for use with writing machines having carriages of different heights.

5. The stationery carrier of claim 1 wherein said rocker member is provided with rollers in the arcuate lower portion thereof to permit additional movement of said pedestal after the leg member has come into contact with said stop means.

6. The stationery carrier of claim 1 wherein the front laterally extending part has a generally horizontal bearing section for resting upon the writing machine carriage and a lateral guiding section pivoted to said bearing section for resting against a paper guide to said platen and abutments are provided between said paper carrier guide and the paper guiding section to carry and guide the stationery carrier laterally with the writing machine carr1age.

7. A stationery carrier for a writing machine having a laterally movable carriage, comprising: a platform member having a substantially upright rear wall and a front laterally extending part to rest upon the writing machine carriage; means for securing the platform member to the carriage to travel laterally therewith; and a column-like pedestal depending from the rear wall of the platform member, said pedestal including a pivoted rocker having an arcuate lower portion in rolling engagement with a supporting surface and a generally upright leg portion, said pedestal further including a substantially upright slot with a post extending therethrough and through said leg portion, said post having means thereon for locking the same at selected points along the extent of said slot for adjusting the height of the carrier, said pedestal affording the sole support for holding the platform above the support of said platform.

8. The stationery carrier of claim 7 wherein the front laterally extending part has a generally horizontal bearing section for resting upon the writing machine carriage and a lateral guiding section pivoted to said bearing section for resting against a paper guide to said platen and abutments are provided between said paper carrier guide and the paper guiding section to carry and guide the stationery carrier laterally with the writing machine carnage.

References Cited in the iile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,853,303 Degener Apr. 12, 1932 2,012,524 Thrift Aug, 27, 1935 2,743,806 Haines May 1, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 386,403 Germany Dec. 18, 1923 501,348 Canada Apr. 6, 1954 

1. A STATIONERY CARRIER FOR A WRITING MACHINE HAVING A LATERALLY MOVABLE CARRIAGE, COMPRISING: A PLATFORM MEMBER HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY UPRIGHT REAR WALL AND A FRONTT LATERALLY EXTENDING PART OT REST UPON THE WRITING MACHINE CARRIAGE; MEANS FOR SECURING THE PLATFORM MEMBER TO THE CARRIAGE TO TRAVEL LATERALLY THEREWITH; A COLUMN-LIKE PEDESTAL DEPENDING FROM THE REAR WALL OF THE PLATFORM MEMBER AND INCLUDING A PIVOTED ROCKER ARRANGED TO PIVOT AGAINST AND OVER A SUPPORTING TABLE SURFACE AND THE LIKE AS SAID CARRIAGE AND PLATFORM MEMBER MOVE FROM SIDE TO SIDE WITH SAID WRITING MACHINE CARRIAGE, SAID ROCKER HAVING AN ARCUATE LOWER PORTION IN ROLLING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE SUPPORTING SURFACE AND A GENERALLY UPRIGHT LEG MEMBER AS ING THE ARCUATE PORTION TO THE PEDESTAL; AND STOP MEANS ON SAID PEDESTAL IN A POSITION TO ABUT SAID LEG MEMBER AS SAID STATIONERY CARRIER MOVES WITH THE TYPEWRITER CARRIAGE TO LIMIT THE LATERAL MOVEMENT OF SAID ROCKER. 